


The Black Stone

by RachelAmeliaHolmes



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Spoilers for Episode 102, i just have a lot of feelings I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 20:43:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11298474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RachelAmeliaHolmes/pseuds/RachelAmeliaHolmes
Summary: Gilmore was not prepared to watch his necklace work the way it did.Written because Gilmore totally made himself his own necklace when he enchanted the rest.





	The Black Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Because you know Shaun made one of those necklaces for himself when he enchanted the rest of them.

“Sherri, my dear? Could you man the front for me? I need to fetch a few things from my rooms!” Gilmore yells before disappearing through his newly restored beaded curtain. He finds himself more and more grateful that he has magic as he walks around his once destroyed home in Emon. He reaches into the chest at the end of his bed for another book to finish enchanting his newest project when the necklace around his neck begins beating. He grips the gold chain it hangs from, pulling it out from under his robes. His eyes widen as two of the stones on his necklace flash black and then a light blue, a second heartbeat joining the first. 

“No,” he whispers, “No, no, no! What the fuck are they doing?!” His voice growing louder. He stops working, his eyes drawn to his own advanced version of the necklaces he made Vox Machina. Having more time to enchant his own, he attuned different colors to individual members. Gold to Taryon, bright yellow to Pike, a purple for Scanlan in the event he returns, a stone gray for Grog, dark bronze for Percy, beautiful green for Keyleth, light blue for Vex’ahlia, and of course a deep, rich black for dear Vax’ildan. Shaun finds himself suddenly wishing he hadn't made the spell so much more detailed as he watches the black stone shatter completely. 

“Vax’ildan! No! Nonononono!” His words slip into his native tongue as grief overtakes him, the rich syllables rolling out of his normally smiling mouth. What the hell could they possibly have been doing?! The light blue fades as somewhere Vex wakes, but Gilmore barely notices, trying to recover each little black shard of Vax’s stone, far too distracted to attempt magic to find it all. Shaun sits for the next few minutes, refusing to believe that Vax’ildan is gone. Refusing to believe that he will never flash that beautiful smile at him, or confide in him when he needs it. He’ll never see those beautiful laughing eyes or feel the strong arms of one of his dearest friends and loves ever again. Surely something can bring him back, Keyleth won't rest until they find a way, but then what? Would the Raven Queen allow it? The thoughts keep running through his mind as his necklace, for only a fraction of a second blinks bright yellow before all the stones, excluding the broken remains that are digging into Shaun’s hand, glow once and then fade, signaling safety. Safety for all but one. 

“Vax’ildan, my dear friend, my love, what happened? What were you all doing? Why?” His mumblings slowly getting more and more nonsensical as sobs wrack his body. He finds himself not only crying for himself, but for all of Vox Machina. He cries for Vex’ahlia and Keyleth especially. How hard it must be to loose a lover, but for Vex? He cries for the younger woman who has just lost half of herself. 

A few minutes later, Sherri finds him like that, crying while sitting on the foot of his bed. 

“What-?” She goes silent when she sees the black shards, which he had been clutching so hard that he’s now drawn blood. She nods in understanding, before leaving the room. She can hear her, ushering people out of the store. Part of him wants to tell her he’ll be fine, keep the store running, but when she comes back with a cup of tea and a comforting hand, he finds another part of himself arguing that they were only an hour from closing anyway.   
—————————————————————————

**Author's Note:**

> —————————————————  
> …  
> … sooo…  
>  I was having a lot of feelings about Gilmore, here's some word vomit.


End file.
